


i want my baby back

by aelisheva



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Study, Gen, Jewish Dave (Umbrella Academy), Screenplay/Script Format, inspired by a fantastic fic you can find in my notes, probably wrong but whatever, speculation on dave's backstory, tua winter soldier au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-20 08:36:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19373113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aelisheva/pseuds/aelisheva
Summary: Dave Katz is dead. Until he wasn't.But now The Handler wants to wipe his memories away completely.





	i want my baby back

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chiquitasdave](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chiquitasdave/gifts), [ratsbaby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ratsbaby/gifts).
  * Inspired by [The Umbrella Academy: Winter Soldier](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18892399) by [chiquitasdave](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chiquitasdave/pseuds/chiquitasdave), [ratsbaby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ratsbaby/pseuds/ratsbaby). 



> content warning: descriptions of electrocution, panic attacks, and epileptic seizures.
> 
> Written for the Summer Of Seven prompt "Space race."
> 
> The title is from "Black Is Black" by Los Bravos.

SMASH CUT TO:

 

Echoing gunshots are heard against a black screen. Then silence. Then --

 

KLAUS (VOICE OVER)

_Please stay with me, Dave. Stay with me. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! No, no, no. Damn it, I need a medic!_

 

CUT TO: 

**INT. COMMISSION LABORATORY - AFTERNOON**

 

CLOSE-UP SHOT of DAVE’s face as he comes to, still in his soldier’s uniform (minus the helmet). He takes in the stitched-up bullet wound in his chest, the machine he’s strapped into, and the throng of shadowy figures standing over him. One of these figures is, of course, THE HANDLER.

 

DAVE

_(beat)_

What’s going on?

 

CUT TO:

LOW ANGLE SHOT of THE HANDLER smiling down at DAVE.

 

THE HANDLER

David Joshua Katz, my dear boy. How are you adjusting to here in the past? Well, your past.

 

DAVE

How do you know my name?

 

THE HANDLER

(ignoring him)

 _What’s going on here_ is that we’re trying to save your life. And the lives of many others before they can mess up the timeline.

 

DAVE

(to himself)

So Hargreeves was right about the suitcase...But what does strapping me into this machine have to do with --

 

He shrieks as someone flips a switch and sends jolts of electricity into his head. After a few seconds of torture, THE HANDLER signals for them to stop.

 

DAVE

(heaving)

Get me the _fuck_ out of this machine.

 

THE HANDLER

David, we can’t erase your memories unless you --

 

DAVE spits on her face. THE HANDLER yelps, then puts up another hand --

 

DAVE

Wait!

 

THE HANDLER freezes, then puts her hand down. She then goes over and slaps him hard across the face. 

 

THE HANDLER

You do _not_ disrespect your future boss.

 

DAVE

Then don’t try to erase all of my memories!

 

THE HANDLER

_(beat)_

Defiant. I can see why Number Four cares for you so much.

 

She starts to walk away, glad to have the upper hand again.

 

DAVE

You mean Klaus? I swear to God _if you’ve hurt him too --_

 

THE HANDLER, back turned to him, holds up a finger.

 

THE HANDLER

Calm down. He’s already made it back to 2019 by now...Did you hear me? He left without you.

 

DAVE

Well...that’s because we both thought I was dead. And you’re just trying to get a rise out of me, he would never abandon me.

 

THE HANDLER

Maybe so. But after The Commission is through with you, my boy, you won’t even remember him.

 

She walks away for good, calling to a COMMISSION SCIENTIST in the other room. 

 

THE HANDLER (CONT.)

Recharge the machine!

 

DAVE is starting to hyperventilate and talk to himself out of fear.

 

DAVE

(mid-panic attack)

Oh my God...oh my God oh my God oh my --

 

CUT TO:

 

CLOSE-UP SHOT of VARIOUS SCIENTISTS flipping switches and pressing buttons.

 

CUT TO:

 

DAVE

(trying to calm himself down through prayer)

 _The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, I_ … _Shema Yisro --_

  


CUT TO:

  


THE HANDLER, looking through a glass screen in the other room, finger above a button. DAVE starts to freak out again, but then THE HANDLER takes her hand away, smirking.

 

THE HANDLER

So. David Joshua Katz. What a life you led.

 

DAVE (V.O.)

Lead.

 

THE HANDLER

Whatever. Such an interesting life. Born in the middle of the space race! America did end up putting a rocket on the moon, you died _one year_ before it happened!

 

She laughs.

 

DAVE (V.O.)

Why do you need my memories wiped?

 

THE HANDLER

Because you are going to be The Commission’s greatest achievement. A man out of time, killing all those who don’t belong in the grand timeline.

 

DAVE

You want me to _kill --_

 

THE HANDLER

You are a _soldier,_ are you not?

 

DAVE

Only because they’d lock me up if I didn’t enlist.

 

THE HANDLER

Well. Consider this another draft you can’t ignore.

 

_(beat)_

 

As we begin the wiping process, your life will flash by your eyes one last time. Do you want any music?

 

DAVE

Sure.

 

MUSIC CUE: The opening of “Black Is Black” by Los Bravos is heard.

 

CUT TO:

Flashback sequence of DAVE’s entire life so far.

 

We see a ten-year-old DAVE dancing with his brothers.

 

This DAVE later sets up a campfire with his mom and dad.

 

As a thirteen-year-old, he does his Bar Mitzvah service. During a prayer, he bends forward --

 

As a fifteen-year-old, he falls forward as he wrestles with his brothers some more. They all roll around like they’ve been shot.

 

At seventeen, his whole family sits frozen on the couch as gunfire from the coverage of the Vietnam War shows on TV in front of them.

 

More than a decade later, he introduces his new boyfriend (WILL) to his family, and he shakes hands with everyone.

 

CLOSE UP on a draft card as WILL sets his alight with a match in a far away parking lot. ZOOM OUT as a laughing DAVE records WILL sticking it to the man.

 

A week later, DAVE is drafted.

 

CLOSE UP shot as we see DAVE’s draft card next to DAVE’s lit-up lighter. PAN RIGHT as a recording WILL gestures for him to burn it already. A quick PAN LEFT as DAVE raises the lighter--

 

CLOSE UP of the lighter falling into another family campfire. Then, back to a sighing DAVE, untouched draft card still in his pocket.

 

Shot of DAVE and WILL fighting with each other over DAVE being a “coward.” We see them break up.

 

DAVE arrives in Vietnam. A short series of shots of him mid-battle, then --

 

KLAUS arrives in his tent.

 

Brief sequence re-capping KLAUS’s previously shown memories of their time together, as well as some new ones.

 

SMASH CUT TO:

 

Black screen as the song sharply cuts out. Muffled talking from THE HANDLER is heard.

 

SMASH CUT TO:

CLOSE UP of DAVE’s eyes.

 

THE HANDLER

Soldier?

 

DAVE

Ready to comply.

 

The light around his face changes as different people’s shouts (and gunshots) are heard. It can be inferred that he’s moving from place to place. The noise gets clearer and more distinguishable when --

 

FIVE

He’s under Commission control!

 

BEN

Allie, do something!

 

ALLISON

(desperate)

_I heard a rumor that you weren’t under Commission control anymore! I heard a rumor that you’re yourself again!_

 

CUT TO:

**INT. HARGREEVES MANSION - AFTERNOON**

 

MEDIUM SHOT of DAVE stumbling to the ground of the Hargreeves Mansion, almost as if he’s having a seizure.

 

ALLISON (V.O.)

(still scared)

I heard a rumor that you don’t want to kill us anymore.

 

DAVE

_(long beat)_

(from the floor)

Thank...you.

 

KLAUS

It worked?

 

DAVE

It worked, Hargreeves.

 

DAVE passes out.

 

DAVE (V.O.)

(in his head)

I made it back.

**Author's Note:**

> the handler: do you have a better idea??
> 
> dave: yes.
> 
> dave: *turns on boombox*
> 
> dave: 🎵 bLACK IS BLACK -- 🎵
> 
> \----
> 
> ( shameless meme footnote inspired by: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRdHSlaKeII )


End file.
